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Sundria
Table of Contents Home Page Map of the Barony Player Notes Homebrew Elements Dragons Ships Magic Academy Gods and Metaphysics Nursery Rhymes and Fairy Tales Barony Laws Miscellaneous Lore Sundria Cemetery No one actually lives here, except for one man who seems to be hundreds of years old, but no one can say exactly. His name is Golavan, and he earns his keep by digging graves by hand for those who want the “rustic touch.” Not much else is known about him. Dockside While not as economically downtrodden as the Slums, this district does tend to have a lower quality of life as compared to other places in Sundria. Most residents are dockworkers, warehouse workers, or the managers who order them around. Dockside work is to be envied, if you have the strength and wits to keep up with hard labor at a fast pace, but it is by no means a glamorous life. Dockside is filthy, and smells of mold and fish at all times. Contrary to outsider assumptions, Dockside is actually quite safe, because Vlasha Flesch, the no-nonsense dwarf woman who runs most of the operations coming in and out of it, has no tolerance for petty crimes like muggings, brawls, and thievery. Most of the violence is just her retaliation for some offense. She runs Dockside like Capone ran Chicago: with a fat fist and brutal, unpredictable violence. Also a savvy head for figures. She has no tolerance for smuggling, and is meticulous about sending in her taxes. In this way she can cover up the real money, which is in piracy. She subsidizes privateers who are willing to occasionally take an assignment to capture and loot a foreign ship, mainly from the Halfling and Gnome nations. Cargo, crew, cannons, sail, rope, supplies – anything with value is taken and sold, and the profits go totally unreported. The crew divvies half, and the other half goes straight to Vlasha. The smart captains know not to try shorting her. Her favorite captain is Gutpunch, an orc who favors strength and large cannon over dexterity and tactics. Her lieutenants in Dockside are relatively numerous, but Edkin Vonta is her current favorite. Locations and attractions in Dockside include the popular food carts Rat on a Stick and Snake Stew, as well as the well-respected Pete's Oysters and the underrated Davyn's Smithy. Eastgate Almost entirely warehouses, but not all of them are currently in use as such. Has a liberal sprinkling of down-on-their luck noblemen who are renting a warehouse space rather than continue paying for a lavish estate on Noble Hill, as well as people who choose to live there rather than in the slums. Informally known by residents and neighbors as a good place for parties, and has a lot of informal taverns, clubs, and little shops, where if you’re savvy, you can get good finds from nobles pawning off their possessions, and if you’re not, your stuff becomes part of the wares. The district as a whole is not really run by anyone, but the best party in the district is Foreverfest, run by a flamboyantly dressed human man named Dangier Bar-Peskin. He speaks virtually every language in the land, and is constantly chewing stimtwigs. He has a band of lackeys, all dressed in the same green outfits (tailed coats and high socks), who speak almost entirely in code and carry daggers with emeralds in the pommels. His warehouse is continually lit up, even during the day, and at night it shines like a beacon. No one knows how it is funded. A small community of businesses and housing has sprung up around the main Foreverfest building, supplying food, drinks, drugs, and entertainment to the “residents,” although the average person probably only lasts a week or so before staggering back home. Dangier’s primary concerns are freedom and beauty. His warehouse walls are covered in murals depicting dancing partygoers with strange proportions and features: wings, horns, extra eyes or limbs, and rearranged faces are all quite common. People at Foreverfest are rarely as they seem. Disguises, both mundane and magical, are used by virtually everyone. Because the normal social order has little meaning here, Foreverfest has developed its own code: “No names, no violence. Ask before you do unto others. Don’t leave a body in the street. Don’t piss off the guys in green.” Locations in Eastgate tend to be ephemeral, but one mainstay is the Convenience Store, where all manner of drugs can be purchased. There's a rumor that Enna Bar-Filton (yes, of those Bar-Filtons) can be found here, selling off some of her belongings to finance an escape. Middle District Hard to classify. This district has a huge variety of shops and housing. The vast majority are set up with a shop on the ground floor with living quarters above. Generally speaking all the bakers are together, all the butchers are together, etc. The different districts (baked goods vs. textiles, for instance) can be very strikingly different in look and feel, not to mention income level and crime rate. The goldsmiths, for instance, almost exclusively sell to higher-income merchants and noblemen, whereas the coopers serve everyone and the picklers cater mostly to residents of Slums and Dockside. Notable shops and locations: Stuffin and Muffins, Shasta's Pasties, Cheese, The Wild Boar, Hot Peppers, Selfry's Smokes, Leisure Gear, the Silk Shop, and Two Scents. Also in the Middle District is Kvik's Stop, run by Kvik "Quick" Smith, who is a Master in the Guild of Smiths and Armorers and sells all manner of arms, armor, and equipment. Noble Hill If your last name has “Bar” in front, you probably live here, unless you’re super down on your luck or you have other (religious/academic) obligations. The estates further up the hill are universally better and bigger than the ones further down. Status and reputation are everything, so when (for instance) one of your family is wanted for Necromancy and Psychomancy, or Enchantment and Larceny, you suffer a significant hit to your rank on the ever-fluctuating totem pole, no matter what your income or estate size. All the politically powerful people live here, including the mayor and his six councilmembers. Gregor Bar-Haladin (Mayor) Severen Bar-Griskel (Council) Osuth Bar-Renez (Council) Rannus Bar-Ingaro (Council) Lester Bar-Bethel (Council) Macon Bar-Fallon (Council) Amicard Bar-Festus (Council) Northgate Somewhat mixed in demographics. Many residents are the of rich children of nobles, or upper-tier merchants and guild leaders, “slumming” in the relatively cheap housing near the universities and temples as they train to be clerics, paladins, wizards, or to take over the family business (whether that’s managing a noble estate, managing a guild, or simply becoming a prosperous goldsmith or high-end tailor). Northgate is also home to a wide variety of locations offering goods and services to travelers along the Great Road, both coming and going. Northate is run by a gnome sorcerer whose true name is unknown. He is generally called Yaldo Kizz, but that’s almost certainly an adopted name. Outsiders who enter Northgate can expect to be accosted by his followers, nicknamed the White Snakes for the ropey tattoos that spiral around their arms. The White Snakes will assess the newcomers and report back to Yaldo about whether or not they are likely to cause trouble. Those that are become unwelcome, and those that don’t seem to be a problem may even be offered a job or two. Northgate is home to many locations, including a charming little shop called the Painted Goblin. It is rumored that if one wants the best brothel in the city, one should look in Northgate. Slums Where the poorest citizens of Sundria scrape out their muddy existences. The slums are full of filth, and though the criminal element definitely feels more comfortable here than most other districts, the average resident of the Slums is actually a decent human being (or whatever else). The district is home to lots of nonhumans, especially those who don’t quite pass as human. Lots of street gangs can be found roaming around, but they are more a danger for the residents than an adventuring party. Although dealing with things in normal adventurer fashion could get you into hot water with the city guard. Locations include the Slime Ranch, Potent Portraits, and (it is rumored) the Black Market. Temple District Contains temples to all the major gods. The centerpiece is a large square with temples to Pender and Alster at opposite ends, and a statue of Sivja in the middle. Generally speaking people go to Good or Lawful gods as a matter of course, to maintain the status quo, and they entreat Evil or Chaotic gods on "special occasions" to reverse their doings (such as making a sacrifice to Dekstra when a member of the family is afflicted with Grave Rot). This is mostly a waste of time, as Grave Rot is almost always deadly, but no one likes to think they didn’t do absolutely everything they could. The Temple District is generally considered a neutral zone, and violence of any kind is strictly forbidden both in city statutes and by longstanding tradition. The one exception is the Circle of Sivja, which is an informal dueling space. Followers of even the most chaotic and evil of deities will usually put aside their violent desires in order to maintain their ability to worship in Sundria, because they know that the wilds would not be as hospitable. The Temple District houses temples to most, if not all, of the 24 major deities, most notably Pender, Alster, Asoi, Aridain, Berin, Vedo, and Cantar. Also here is a "library" called Words of the Gods, and the Learning Temple, which serves as a school. The Bars Barracks, City Hall, and Prison. Named for the bars on the prison walls, the columns of city hall, and the soldiers in the barracks, as stiff as iron bars. The region is dominated by the three buildings, but there are also lots of other buildings – housing for the City Guard, and a range of manufacturing and shops to service soldiers, politicians, and their support staff. The Bars is walled all the way around. The main gate opens into the Market.Square district and the start of Councilmember’s Road, which leads along the city wall, through the south end of the University.District, the north end of the Temple.District, and all the way up to Noble.Hill. Right of way is determined by size and wealth, mostly, but it’s not unheard of for a particularly stubborn crowd to delay the progress of a councilmember’s carriage for nearly an hour. Sometimes the politically-minded will do this intentionally, to prevent a councilmember being on time for a particular meeting or vote. The south gate opens into the Slums, and this is both the best-guarded and the most vandalized gate in the city. Conflicts between guards and residents happen all the time, especially right after a festival when the residents are hopped up and the guards are tired and want things to go back to status quo and are perhaps resorting to rough tactics to make it happen. Edmund Paltrus (Captain of the Guard) Aldo Bar-Cano (Guard Lieutenant) Lyra Dulmacher (Guard Lieutenant) Dunnan Firth (Guard Lieutenant) Urbek Dalgon (Prison Warden) Undercity Most residents of Sundria have heard of the Undercity, although few actually believe in it. It’s a bedtime story, told to kids who won’t stay quiet in their beds. “If you misbehave, the ratcatchers will come and drag you down to the Undercity, and they’ll turn you into a rat, and you’ll have to eat garbage and live in the dark forever.” Typical stuff. But those who have seen the seedy underbelly, those who pay attention, truly understand its significance. The Ratcatchers, of course, are real. If you have a pest problem, you call them. But the Undercity is probably too fantastical to be true. University District Though the extensive campus of the Magic Academy dominates both the geography and public perception of the University District, the district is also home to several other places of learning, including vocational schools and military academies. The amount of time required before graduation varies wildly. Some vocational schools teach their whole curriculum in under a year, and at the other end of the spectrum, graduation from the Magic Academy has taken some students nearly a decade of continuous study to achieve. Some of the more notable schools are the Doyen Libraries, places where the history and lore of the ages is absorbed by youngsters who will become advisors to nobles, most likely the same men and women who study politics and rhetoric at a nearby Preparatory School. These students debate each other all night in taverns, matching their practicum against Doyen theory. The wisest among the Preps learn that a Doyen, especially one who is almost ready to graduate, is difficult to argue against, and impossible to stump. The Doyens in turn learn that just because you’re right doesn’t mean people will believe what you say. The “Pre-Academy,” despite not being endorsed in any way by the Magic Academy or any military academy, nonetheless receives dozens of applicants every year. This is due to how expensive the Academy is, and how easy it is to be expelled. The fact that Magic Academy expulsion is permanent and relatively easy (it only takes a few “moral failings” or ten weeks without a passed class) means that a small mistake could ruin the chances of a noble family having a wizard or a military officer in it, which can result in significant loss of reputation. So potential students with less discipline than most are sent to the Pre-Academy, to get a rigid backbone inserted where there wasn’t one, or to have the stubborn gleam in their eye snuffed out, before being sent on to a “real” school, where they are called “Preemies” until their classmates forget (which can take anywhere from a few days to the better part of a career). Westgate Westgate is basically just an extension of the Slums. The line between them is invisible, but locals know whether you live in one or the other based on an elaborate string of streets that defines a sort of barrier. Westgate is generally a place full of scammers and shifty characters, who take advantage of people going to visit their relatives at the cemetery, either by selling them overpriced posies and ribbons, or outright scamming them out of their money. Any travelers who happen to enter the city through the West Gate quickly learn that Sundria is not a place of justice and honor, as they go through the disturbingly large Cemetery, past the con artists of Westgate, and into the squalor of the Slums. Assuming they get that far before being conned or just plain robbed. One of the most prominent members of Westgate is a Fagin-type character named Pavek, who has a network of con artists, thieves, prostitutes, and shady shopkeepers known collectively as The Faceless. Pavek himself is an Elf who is over sixty but looks about thirty. He usually keeps to himself in his hideout, the location and security of which is a well-kept secret. His two lieutenants, Uldun and Corva, are brother and sister orcs who paint their faces ghostly white and surround themselves with 3-5 lackeys, who wield spiked bats and wear black linen masks. They approach newcomers, especially those with power and influence, and remind them of their place. If you operate small-time and keep to yourself, you’re fine. If you make a lot of money, you may be invited into The Faceless, which offers protection and a comfortable place to eat and sleep in exchange for a portion of your takings. If you cause trouble, especially if you’re violent toward a member, The Faceless make it their mission to put you out of business.